The sweat dripped off Beverly’s forehead. She was nervous, and the pressure in her chest was unbearable. Anxiety was setting in. Several minutes ago she woke up on the floor of some type of matrix, and the thoughts of how she got there came crashing in all at once. Like a damn that could no longer hold back the pressure and force of water, her mind and body gave way.
She was kidnapped; a rag with a strange smell was placed over her mouth, and a dark sack was placed over head. “Why,” for a brief moment she wondered, but then quickly refocused her attention to the current issue.
“Who’s out there,” she yelled.
“Why are you doing this to me,” she screamed.
Beverly looked right and left, and then spun in a 360 to get a complete view of her surroundings. Florescent lighting lit up the mirage of rooms around her. The frustration built within her; without thinking she sprinted forward and ran straight into a wall. The unexpected collision sent her crashing to the floor. She sat there for a minute, again, collecting her thoughts. Every time she came up with a plan the matrix took it away. Nothing was as it seemed. Slowly, she got back to her feet; a stream of blood ran from her nose. The clear wall was a reflection of the path behind her so she wiped the blood from her face, turned around, and cautiously tip toed forward. White lights marked clear boundaries of each square space, and as she crossed the lines of white light, the squares behind her became dark.
Despite what appeared to be, there was only one way to go-at least for now. Beverly continued to move forward. The space behind her still darkening.
Nooz Buffet 